Glen Eira City Council has begun rolling out an upgrade to its waste and recycling services – co-designed with the community and built to adapt over time.
The new long-term contracts, spanning seven to 13 years, introduce flexible service models that allow the Victorian council to trial innovations, scale successful programs, and respond to shifting needs, technologies, and sustainability goals.
While many councils lock in static waste contracts for a decade or more, Glen Eira’s approach embeds mechanisms to evolve services without starting from scratch.
Glen Eira Deputy Mayor Cr Luca Ragni said the changes mark a major shift in how the city manages waste.
“These are the most adaptable waste contracts we’ve ever put in place,” he said.
“They let us innovate without waiting 10 years for the next tender — and that means better outcomes for the community, the environment and the way we live.”
The model is grounded in feedback from Glen Eira’s 2024 Future Waste, Greener Glen Eira engagement campaign, which reached nearly 2000 people at community pop-ups and attracted more than 750 survey responses.
Ninety per cent of respondents said they found bin and hard waste services reliable, while 96 per cent said correct recycling was important. But many also wanted better reuse options, more accessible services for apartment residents, and ways to deal with harder-to-recycle items.
That feedback directly shaped the contract design. New features being rolled out include the ability to expand recycling and waste services for apartment buildings and small businesses; more kerbside sorting of hard waste to recover items like furniture, white goods or textiles; and support for local repair and reuse initiatives such as Repair Cafés.
Trials are also underway for pick-up services for batteries, textiles, gas bottles and other problem waste — services that could become permanent if successful.
“This isn’t just about bins – it’s about giving people more ways to reduce, reuse and recycle,” Ragni said.
“In the future, you might book a soft plastics pickup through an app or fix a broken lamp at your local Repair Café instead of sending it to landfill.”
Sustainability is also central to delivery. Rather than replacing Glen Eira’s fleet of 20 rubbish trucks, the council is refurbishing and extending their life, reducing waste and emissions. When replacement is needed, the fleet will transition to fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.
The contracts represent a shift from traditional service models to long-term partnerships. Providers will work with the council to continuously improve services and introduce innovation over time.
Services are now being delivered by three providers: Solo Resource Recovery, Visy Recycling and Total Waste Solutions.
With a total value of just under $289 million over 13 years (around $22 million annually), the rollout marks a major investment in the city’s environmental future, designed to meet residents’ needs today and into the next decade.
Related stories:
Visy steps in to process hard-to-recycle plastics
The Last Word: Waste contracting made practical
.png){kind=small}
